Thursday, December 14, 2017

This hate group leader is ineducable

Hate Group Leader Tim Wildmon (American Family Association) is presumably conversant in regard to the New Testament. When it comes to finance and the nation's equity markets, Wildmon is just a Mississippi rube who inherited his position from his father.

Wildmon is inextricably wed to the notion that his group is damaging Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT). Yet, since it reported disappointing fourth quarter results last February, the company has consistently delivered results exceeding expectations. Target shares are trading at a nine month high and the dividend yield exceeds 4%.Thursday's missive is titled The naughtiest of them all. How profoundly original!

For more than a year and a half, AFA has been encouraging shoppers to #BoycottTarget after the retailer publicized it would allow men free and unrestricted access into women's fitting rooms and restrooms. In response, more than 1.5 million shoppers have signed the pledge to boycott Target stores.

I will correct the lie — yet again. Target does not prohibit transgender people from using gender-appropriate facilities. That's it. There has never been an incident associated with this policy which is the same as Walmart and many other retailers.

The objective of a boycott is to use economic leverage to cause the target (in this case Target) to either do something or cease doing something. Target is not going to change a policy that has been in place for many years because some yahoos in Mississippi do not like it. Furthermore, the boycott has not materially affected the company's finances. The prospects for that to change are virtually nonexistent.

Target is hoping that you won't care that they allow men into women's bathrooms and changing rooms and will do your Christmas shopping with them. AFA knows that you do care.

Let's hold firm to our conviction that men have no place in women's restrooms and dressing rooms and continue our pledge to boycott Target stores, especially through the Christmas shopping season.

Trans people have been using gender-appropriate facilities for decades and generally go unnoticed. A trans woman is more likely to create disharmony by using a men's restroom than her gender appropriate facility. This is one of the silliest actions since AFA boycotted Disney for gay days (which Disney never had any control of in the first place). Needless to say, nothing has changed as a result of AFA's idiotic effort. The Target misadventure is just one more failure.

TAKE ACTION

Forward this information to friends and family. Invite them to sign the boycott pledge at www.afa.net/target.

Call Target headquarters at 612-304-6073 and personally let them know you are boycotting their stores.

Voice your concerns on Target's Facebook page.

The inevitable. An invitation to reward ignorance and ineptitude:

If our mission resonates with you, please consider supporting our work financially with a tax-deductible donation. The easiest way to do that is through online giving. It is easy to use, and most of all, it is secure.

If Wildmon is more financially sophisticated than I give him credit for then he realizes that his boycott is futile. If that is the case then he is a liar. Stupid or liar? What's the difference?

———
For the record I have some concerns about the fourth quarter for retail in general. Those concerns are based on third quarter credit card defaults and delinquencies plus, of course, the Amazon effect. If Target does not do well it will have nothing to do with AFA (although they will undoubtedly take credit for poor results).